Being a single expat holed up in your serviced apartment can be pretty lonely, it’s hard to be in a place without a loved one. In Singapore, expats dating each other or the locals are not uncommon. Now we can’t quite help you fall in love, but we can point you in the right direction and make it a little easier to meet someone new in a foreign and exotic country.

Whether you’re looking for a soulmate to spend every cheesy moment with or a brief fling that the morning after might be more memorable thanks to the throbbing hangover, we’ll school you in the ways of love. In this first part, we’ll cover the dating apps you can use in Singapore, and how to use them.

Tinder’s that dating app that everyone’s heard of. Pretty simple to use, swipe right if you like someone and swipe left if you’re not interested. Swipe up for a super-like, to let someone know you’re really into them. There is a limited number of likes that resets every couple of hours unless you pay for premium which gets you a lot more features. A lot of expats and locals alike can be seen on the app.

Bumble revolutionizes the dating app game by allowing females to take the first step in the interactions. Similar to Tinder, people can like each other by swiping but only women can start the interaction by messaging first. Unlike Tinder, Bumble has unlimited swipes.

In Coffee Meets Bagels, you get a certain amount of bagels (people) to swipe through every day at noon, in your Suggested page based on a matching algorithm. There is also Discover bagels page, where people who don’t exactly meet the algorithm’s criteria. These bagels can be recommended to a friend or even to take for yourself, at the cost of some coffee beans. Coffee beans are Coffee Meets Bagels’ in-app currency.

OkCupid has been around for almost as long as the phrase ‘dating site’ has been. Designed for more serious users, the app ranks interests and likes very highly, constantly asks you filtering questions to help their algorithm to matchmake you more accurately. It proudly celebrates its users for who they are, and not how they look like. 

Setting up a decent profile is important. Get a few flattering photos in there. Try to avoid group shots and pretentious-looking shots (shirtless guys, or people trying to show off their cars). Write up a witty little bio and fill up description boxes to beef up your profile.

The generic hi and hellos openers usually merit no reply, especially on women. Stand out right from your conversation starter. It’s a numbers game and people receive 10s if not 100s of messages, so it’s best if you make yours interesting. Get creative with the witty one-liners, jokes, name puns or anything you can work with on their bio.

Again, it’s a numbers game. Try to get her or his number quick so you can text them privately and you won’t have to fight and vie for attention amongst the hundreds of others talking to them in-app.

If dating apps aren’t your thing, look out for our next Singapore expats dating edition on how to get out there the old-school way.